I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It weaves in and out of the Tudor Court of Henry 8th and Anne Boleyn story. Bringing to life the music and intrigue of the court and those within the Royal Palaces. I loved the characters of Bess and Tom and how the story keeps you following their lives. Now to read the next book
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Highly enjoyable read showing another side to Henry's Tudor Court and the turbulent life of both its occupants and times
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I hadn’t known before reading Songbird about Henry VIII’s purchase of children for his Music. Although to modern minds it sounds horrific, Songbird shows that some benefited hugely from this practice, and the young Bess was one of these although not without a great deal of struggle and strife. What I very much enjoyed about this book was how Heenan presented a great deal of historical detail without information dumping – a rare talent! We are used to Tudor stories of the rich and famous, but to see them through the eyes of the common folk of the court and to hear of their own stories too, was fascinating. Ann Boleyn is portrayed here in very human terms, for better and worse! Heenan builds wonderful word pictures of settings, so that I felt really present in the court and London of the time. Her characters are real, warts and all! Bess is a likeable protagonist, although there were times when I could have strangled her. My heart went out to Tom and I wasn’t at all sure what kind of resolution we would get. Which keeps you reading, of course. A highly satisfying read. I have the next in series waiting on my TBR pile to enjoy at leisure some time soon.
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I was immersed in this book from the first to the last page. I felt part of every twist of the story and feel it would make an excellent film or tv production. I could easily see the trappings of the Courts and smell the perfumes and stenches that were around then. And despite having read or watched other stories from this era, this one really got through to me . I felt part of the musicians at court .
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This could have been a nice story but there wasn't one. I keep waiting for it to start. It didnt. No depth
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Combine one of my favourite historical fiction time periods with a character born to sing and perform – a hobby of mine as a teenager – and Songbird is an ideal read for me! In truth, Songbird is far much more than that. I expected a novel a lot more light-hearted than this proved to be, but it is so much better for its unexpected depth. From a historical perspective, the tale of Katherine’s downfall, Anne Boleyn’s ascension and the political/religious rumblings of the move by Henry VIII is an interesting one. Having the tale narrated by a well-placed servant, party to all the gossip but without allegiance in all the machinations made a refreshing change of perspective. The life of a minstrel in the King's Court is dictated by his will entirely. Yet, Bess' personal life and the historical element of the novel are both distinct and complementary to one another. Neither overshadows the other, making for a perfect balance of historically-driven plot and character development. Elizabeth, or Bess, lives a comfortable life at Court, performing for King Henry VIII. It’s an honour well earned by our songbird, but that honour is tainted by the knowledge that Bess was sold to the King by her family. As a child, Bess is resented by her mother and sister for frittering away her days fostering her talent instead of helping with ‘honest’ work. She is also wrongly blamed for a family tragedy, marring one of the few relationships she has in her young life. Only her father has good motivations in securing her a place in King Henry’s court. I should have known that such an emotional beginning would be setting a precedent for the rest of the novel. Songbird’s narrative is powerfully emotive. Friendship, love, longing and loss all touch Bess from an early age. The narrative is written entirely from her perspective and her character development plays a strong part in the book. As a reader we experience Bess grow up from an immature young girl into a young woman tempered by her experiences. The stark differences in her character at the start and end of the book are remarkably written. I confess to shedding a tear or two at times whilst reading this. It might seem bizarre that my next statement is a compliment, but at times the narrative was hard to read. The depth of emotion woven into the narrative is so stark and real. I was so invested in Bess, Tom and the other members of the Music and Henry VIII’s court that their loves and losses were mine. The feelings evoked are incredibly relatable to the reader. Songbird has a profound rawness of emotion throughout the novel that will stick with me for a long time.
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Compelling historic romantic novel. Characters and narrative held my interest. The author brought all of characters to life even down to the music, instruments, herbal medicines and costumes worn by peasants and those of the court. It made me glad I live in an era where mattress are not of straw and we have central heating and plumbing. It gives the reader a real sense of what life must have been like in Tudor times during Henry VIII reign.
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I was absolutely blown away by this book! Yes, it's an incredibly slow burn but an intense one. This is a Tudor romance set in the court of Henry VIII as he's on the cusp of marrying Anne Boleyn. BUT it is NOT about the monarch - huzzah! No, it's a romance novel about a young, female singer, Bess, in the Music. She's fictional but written in a way that could have been real. Tom is the only person who's kind to the ten year old as she gets sold to the court as a minstrel. They become best friends as the world whirls around them. There are friendships, intrigues, losses, disease and very few gains. The unrequited love becomes excruciating in the best possible way. It broke my heart and shattered my soul. Clearly well-researched. I felt this really could have happened. The sights and smells had me living in this book. I strolled around the 'below stairs' world of Greenwich Palace and peeked into Hampton Court. There are well-written side characters to support the tormented MCs. And the real life tales of the king are cleverly interwoven as a backdrop to this tale of torment. Historical romance lovers need to read this!
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The opening sentence in "Songbird" by Karen Heenan immediately sets the dark tone of Renaissance England and hooks you into the story: "Two days before my tenth birthday, my father sold me to the King of England." The historical novel, "Songbird" (The Tudor Court, Book 1), is set in the backdrop of King Henry VIII's court and has an element of romance. The story begins when Bethan's impoverished father presents her to King Henry VIII to audition for an elite group of singers and musicians that entertain the court. A young musician, Tom, offers to accompany her on a string instrument to help her relax as she sings and brings out the quality of her singing voice. The courtiers hush as she sings like a songbird, more to the young musician for whom she feels an instant connection. Her father relinquishes Bethan at a high price to the King. Tom shows her kindness and helps her to adjust to a new family of minstrels at the court. He gives her the pseudonym Bess Llewelyn, more befitting of her Welsh background. The story spans from her coming-of-age teen years to her maturation as an adult. She is caught up in the decadence of courtly life and the lure of passion, dismissing Tom's strong feelings for her. Consequences of past and present reckless liaisons collide when Bethan must come to terms with her place in life and relationships. Author Karen Heenan is a gifted storyteller who has written a spelling-binding novel from the first-person perceptive of Bethan, a musical servant behind the scenes in the King's court. Bethan's underlying beauty, similar to Anne Boleyn, enthralls men. Impetuous, she often lives for the moment and gives no thought to how her reckless action and words affect others. Devastated by her father's abandonment, Bethan struggles to understand how she fits in the world. I particularly empathize with Tom, whose mother, a prostitute, sells him as a choir boy to the King. Losing his boyish voice at a young age, Tom has to play an instrument and compose music to remain at court. He is Bethan's soulmate, always there to support and advise her. But she dismisses his loyalty and feelings in pursuit of loftier passions. Yet, he has limits on what he will accept from her unrequited love. Though the novel centers around Bethan and Tom, you can also get caught up in the lives of memorable secondary characters. It reminds me somewhat of the "Downtown Abbey" series that shows the lives of both the aristocratic family members and their servants. Although there is a romantic component to the story, it also explores the consequences of social inequities and injustices forced on children born out of wedlock due to reckless dalliances of nobles with women beneath their status. This theme parallels the national consequences from King Henry's break with tradition to divorce Queen Catherine of Aragon in favor of marrying Anne Boleyn. "Songbird" is a multi-layered story that weaves in various characters and their sub-plots into a tapestry rich with themes of love, revenge, coming-of-age, perseverance, and redemption. For the most part, the writing style, descriptions, and pacing are eloquent and lyrical like a song. One example of a unique and vivid description is how Bethan perceives the King when she first meets him as follows: "The giant was immense, and from his bright hair to the tissue-like fabric that made up his costume, he seemed to be fashion entirely of gold." A memorable quote that resonated with me is as follows: "A cat may look at a king, but it upsets the natural order of things when the King looks at the cat." "Songbird" by Karen Heenan is a richly-layered story with engaging, memorable characters that will keep a reader turning the pages to find out what happens next. It is a journey back in time to Renaissance England with universal themes of love, self-discovery, and redemption relevant to modern times. Highly Recommended.
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This is a beautiful novel. I prefer a murder or some conspiracy in my historical fiction, but this held me. It's a real feel story of young romance set against Henry VIII's own romantic turn from Katherine to Anne Boleyn told from the perspective of the court's musicians. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying it. Give yourself the treat of spending time in this world and with these characters.
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I love books that explore the way talent, ambition, and ordinary life intersect, especially for women, and this book delved deeply into all of that. The characters are well-drawn, and the world building is also excellent. I'd have preferred less explicit love-making, but I suspect some might enjoy the scenes I found myself skimming or skipping. All in all, a very good book, though.
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This novel made me realize how much I missed my first historical fiction love—Tudor England. More than that, it made me realize why I love reading and writing: to feel an emotion that gets lost in the whirl of the everyday, to peek into a past long gone, to fall in love with a story, plain and simple. Well, I fell completely and utterly in love with Karen Heenan’s Songbird. In short, Bess is a young girl who is sold to Henry VIII by her father. She grows up at the royal court, where she meets Tom, another musician. Their relationship blossoms as they grow and as the years pass, but so do the complexities of adulthood, human loss and pain, and of course, romantic love. The storyline is deceptively simple, yet with a complexity that really shines through the characters’ relationships and the scope of time covered, rendering it fresh and beautiful. I have such an admiration for writers who expertly use exposition in a way that doesn’t bore or confuse the reader, and I found this author does this so well. The prose is true to the time, does not get bogged down with description while keeping a song-like lyricism to the words and sentences, and tells a pure story, the type of story you don’t see very often because of the emotion and humanity behind it. The author has a strong handle on the history of the time, and a talent for using it as a background to the plot. Since the main characters are all fictional, it was interesting to see how the historical events were weaved in in a non-intrusive, non-dry, and, most significantly, relevant way. I also really loved the author’s treatment of the romance. In my opinion, it is the hardest to pull off. The romance in Songbird is poignant without being cheesy; it is heartbreaking and painful, as all great love should be. So many novels these days have great concepts but very little substance behind the storyline and characters; very few move me to tears. Songbird did in a way I didn’t expect it to. This coming of age story absolutely touched my heart. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next. I’ll be eagerly waiting to get my hands on it! Olesya Gilmore
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I really enjoyed the author's take on this historical glimpse. A few editing problems in the book, but none that distracted from the story. I would recommend for history and music lovers.
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